Narrative as Practical Pedagogy

Cultivating Moral Personhood through Chinese Classic Novels

Bibliographic Data

ID19473451
AuthorsLu Liu (0000-0003-4638-9720, Jiangsu University), Lu Liu Lu Liu, Zhimin Liu (0009-0006-2159-6968, Nanjing Agricultural University), Zhimin Liu Zhimin Liu
Year2026
Volume27
Issue1
Pages36-51
Publication date2026-05-07
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCENTRAL ASIA AND THE CAUCASUS (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1404-6091 • E-ISSN: 2002-3839
PublisherNinety Nine Publication (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.61841/nbc23c26
OpenAlexW7160538348
LanguageEN
References cited14

Prevailing moral education theory, shaped by universalist and cognitive paradigms, often fails to connect abstract principles with lived experience, fragmenting the moral self. This paper argues that China’s Four Great Classic Novels form a rich repository of culturallygrounded phronesis (practical wisdom). We propose an analytical framework structured around the Chinese sequence of “lixin, lishen, liye, liming” and elaborated through four dimensions: authentic disposition, relational sentiment, strategic wisdom, and holistic harmony. Engaging Western theories, we show how each novel distinctly dramatizes one facet: Dream of the Red Chamber (authenticity), Water Margin (relational ethics), Romance of the Three Kingdoms (dialectical wisdom), and Journey to the West (integrative harmony). Together, they model a holistic, processual pedagogy for moral development. The study concludes by advocating a shift toward narrative-based reflective praxis to cultivate integrated and discerning moral agents

Dream · Moral education · Morality · Narrative · Personhood · Phronesis · Praxis · Romance · Ethics, Aesthetics, and Art · Media Influence and Health · Values and Moral Education

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